The many ways Hulk Hogan has destroyed his legacy

In the 80s and 90s, Hulk Hogan was everywhere. In fact, such was his popularity he almost single-handedly brought pro wrestling out of the shadows and into the mainstream. 

Some of 'Hulkamania’s' biggest matches, such as his 2002 Wrestlemania 18 face-off with The Rock, will be remembered by fans for decades to come. 

That’s not even to mention individual moments of brilliance, like body slamming a near 300kg Andre The Gaint at Wrestlemania 3 in a scene that instantly becomes an iconic image of pro wrestling all around the world.

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You see, ‘Hulkamania’ was truly rampant in a way that more modern icons such as John Cena or even The Rock didn’t quite ascend to during their peak years in the ring. Despite this, both of these stars are far more fondly remembered today than Hogan is, and there are a few good reasons for this.

One of the biggest criticisms of Hogan, born Terry Bollea, comes from his former colleagues – and there are a lot of them – who have spoken out about how badly ‘The Real American’ treated the backstage area.

Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, was by many accounts only out to serve himself. A master of backstage politics, Hogan HATED making other wrestlers look good, and any suggestion to help put an up-and-coming champion over were, at best, heavily scrutinised by ‘The Hulkster’.

Hogan loved being the star of the show and the deals that came with being the face of pro wrestling that he was incredibly reluctant to pass on his title. In fact, he would often point blank refuse to do so at times if the circumstances did not look favourably upon him.

This often led to awkward confrontations between writers, wrestlers and general manager Vince McMahon, who would often end up siding with Hogan for fear of losing his golden boy.

It went even further than that, as Hogan had his preferred wrestling talents to work with. He knew acts such as the Nasty Boys, Hacksaw Duggan, Honky Tonk Man, Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake would do their best to make Hogan look good so he ensured those talents were prioritised in the running sheet.

If you weren’t on his good side, well you can imagine. The accounts are too detailed and varied to mention but wrestlers who have been vocal about their issues with Hogan over the years include, Bret Hart, Jesse Ventura, Scott Steiner, Shawn Michaels, Sid and promoter Jim Cornette, according to the Sportster

In 1994, Vince McMahon was on trial facing charges of distributing steroids and one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids. At the trial, Hogan was forced to testify that he had in fact used steroids to build his physique, the New York Times reported.

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It was a huge blow to the image and credibility of Hogan, who had always maintained he was a 100% natural trainer (you know, vitamins, prayers, believing in yourself etc). Many of his fans never thought of him the same way again.

In 1998, Hogan dropped a bombshell on the ‘Tonight Show with Jay Leno’. Hogan announced his retirement from pro wrestling with the intention of becoming the next US President.

The announcement drew widespread interest and soon Hogan was doing media rounds discussing his plan. The problem was that it became immediately clear he was out of his depth and only had a vague understanding of the political process, wrestlinginc.com reported. Wrestling fans recoiled! Fast forward 20 years and he might've actually pulled it off... 

In 2007, news emerged that Hogan and his wife of 24 years, Linda were divorcing. This was eyebrow-raising firstly as the Hogan family were then-reality TV show stars with the show ‘Hogan Knows Best’. Secondly, as the person was he was having an affair with his daughter’s best friend Christine Plante.

This played out in sensational style as Plante confirmed the relationship to The National Enquirer, while his daughter Brooke posted a lengthy MySpace post about how it affected her. Hulk, however, denied it in his book ‘My Life Outside The Ring.’

This one is a doozy. In 2015 a raunchy tape featuring Hulk Hogan leaked online. To make matters WAY worse, Hogan goes on a racist tirade in the video, criticising his daughter’s romantic choices. He uses the N-word multiple times throughout the rant and even says he is a racist himself, according to Wrestling Inc. 

Easily the most damaging event for Hogan, this scandal resulted in an instant dismissal from the WWE and he was also stripped from the WWE Hall Of Fame. Hogan apologized for the outburst, though the damage was done. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. Despite a shrinking public platform Hogan has still managed to put his foot in it – this time with the help of his own Facebook page.

In January 2022, Hogan commented on Facebook in reply to a fan about recent celebrity deaths, including 99-year-old Betty White, by stating they were ‘100% [linked to the vaccine]. they're dropping like flies, but they'll never say that,” Newsweek reported

The most shocking thing is that there is even more to this list we haven’t included, such as his homophobic slurs, going to raunchy photoshoots with his daughter Brooke, and the time he blocked a wrestling union, but these are perhaps stories for another day.

It’s safe to say though, if WWE has an uncomfortable relationship with Hulk Hogan, there are more than a few good reasons why.  

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